Fighting windmills? Go on.

Farida Buyuran

I have no idea how to cook. Yes, unlike most of the Azerbaijani women in the time-to-get-married-and-have-kids age I can’t even prepare the most primitive meal. Can’t say I’m really proud of it, but at least I made my peace with it. But every time I visit http://www.azcookbook.com things magically change. Delicious looking meals from Azerbaijan and Beyond provoke in me an immediate need either to cook or to eat. A lot.

Later, I discovered that this web page is a result of a work of one lady – the cooked meals, the texts, the pictures – everything. And all this combined with being a socially active wife and mother, and writing a book. So, if you have visited this web page and experienced the same feelings as I did, then you will be glad to meet this cooking hero of mine – Farida Buyuran – an Azerbaijani woman, currently living in Los Angeles, CA and the next guest of Azeris Abroad.

Farida, please tell us about yourself.
I was born in Baku in 1977. In 1998 I graduated from the University of Languages with a Bachelor’s degree in English and two years later, with a Master’s degree in English Literature. My professional life started with Azerbaijan International magazine where I worked as editorial assistant for several years. I also worked briefly in a local Internet service providing company as a web content translator/editor before I had to move to California after marrying in the summer of 2002. In 2003 I got accepted to California State University, Long Beach from where I graduated with an MBA degree. After working at a Los Angeles based company for a short period of time, I decided to take a break to raise my children and to focus on writing an Azerbaijani cookbook. I also run a food blog (www.azcookbook.com) in English and Azeri for which I do my own food styling and photography. Since 2006, I am in charge of membership and public relations at Azerbaijani American Women’s Association based in California. I live in Long Beach with my husband and two children, ages 6 and 2.